A Freelance Speech Writer's Guide To The Job: How To Develop Your Skills

When it comes to speech writing – like many other forms of writing – the more experience one has, the easier it can potentially be to complete a project. For those that are new to the profession, there are certain things that can be done to make life easier at the start, so as to increase the chances of success.

Research other speeches

Speech writing is very different to article writing, so it can be quite intimidating at first. To help get an idea of what makes a good speech and what makes a bad speech, it can be important to research past examples. Having a good idea of how to approach this style of writing makes it far easier when it comes to getting started.

Being aware of how to begin and end a speech, as well as the overall structure, is obviously crucial. Whether you try to find written examples online or look at videos of important speeches made by politicians or other prominent speakers, you can get a sense of how things are done.

Practice writing and using speeches

As a freelance speech writer, you may not expect to have to deliver many of the speeches that you write – you simply put the words on paper and let someone else do the talking. However, by putting yourself in the position of the speaker, you can get a feel for what works and what doesn’t. You don’t necessarily have to speak to a large audience – a friend or colleague can be enough. The important thing is to get a feel for how to create the right rhythm.

As well as speaking, it can also be important to practice writing. Ideally, this will involve writing speeches, but can be articles, blogs or even a diary. Essentially, this helps to broaden the mind and keep it sharp, as well as generally improving writing capabilities.

Know your audience

Finally, it is important to always bear in mind who the audience is. Sometimes speeches need to contain humour, some speeches may need to be fairly formal, and some speeches need to be quite business-like: knowing your audience allows you to adapt your writing style to suit the needs of the job.

If the speech is for an upbeat or informal occasion then an appropriate amount of humour may be called call, whereas when writing a speech for a more solemn occasion, it may be best to avoid making jokes.